A new study has revealed that 95 per cent of Scottish primary school teachers are concerned about their pupils' eating habits.

Published:11:00Saturday 23 January 2016

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A new study has revealed that 95 per cent of Scottish primary school teachers are concerned about their pupils’ eating habits.

The research was carried out by the free, healthy eating educational programme, Eat Like a Champ. It revealed that each teacher surveyed believed more could be done to improve the healthy eating habits of children.

Ninety-two per cent of Scottish teachers want healthy eating to be taught as part of the curriculum for each year group, rather than just two year groups it is taught in now.

In fact, 42 per cent of teachers in Scotland revealed that their pupils showed minimal to no knowledge when it came to discussing the subject and 59 per cent said that each pupil only has one or less portions of fruit or vegetables a day.

The research was commissioned to highlight teachers’ willingness to play a role in the health crisis and to encourage them to sign up to the Eat Like A Champ programme which is designed to give children the knowledge they need to make healthy choices when it comes to eating habits.

Three quarters of Scottish primary School teachers agree they hold some form of responsibility for what their pupils’ eat with half calling for lunch boxes to be monitored, while 83 per cent have called for weight to be monitored on a yearly basis by the school nurse.

Helen Skelton, TV presenter, is the ambassador for Eat Like A Champ and will be chairing a healthy eating quiz with pupils and MPs at the Houses of Parliament this month to help highlight the benefits and importance of eating healthily.

She said: “We know that teachers work extremely hard, and it is encouraging to see that so many of them are enthusiastic about healthy eating education and having a real impact on their pupils’ eating habits. I’m looking forward to meeting some of the teachers and pupils.”